Memories of the Happy Days
by ladykrueger
Summary: Living with father was a real pain sometimes, there was no doubt. But looking back, she finds those memories more precious than anything.
1. First Memory

_**Hello world! It's the first time I'm showing my writing to anyone, so please, be gentle**_

 _ **This short story is an introduction to the things I'm working on right now.**_

 ** _Enjoy!_ **

* * *

Today was her day off. It wasn't happening very often, since according to Father long breaks could end with one's reflexes getting dull, so she decided to use it the best she could.

"Shizuka, how long do you intend to sleep?" Harunosuke asked in a loud voice as he entered her room, successfully destroying her plans. She could've known that her demon of a father wouldn't let her do what she wanted.

"It's my day off," she mumbled. "I want to rest."

"The sun is already high on the sky. You cannot waste your day in such a way," he said with disapproval. Harunosuke himself felt very brisk this morning and couldn't stand that his daughter was acting so sluggish. He figured that to make her move, he'd have to come up with an offer she would't be able to refuse.

"I want to **rest** ," she repeated with an emphasis and held her blankets closer, hiding under them. However she knew Father too well to think that he'd give up like this. And sure enough, he spoke up again but the words were quite unexpected.

"Then how about we go to the market today?" _Damn it._ He knew exactly how to lure her out. She loved visiting stalls with him and he was well aware of that. She peered out of her covers, her eyes sparkling. As he saw her expression, the smile of victory flashed through his face, just to disappear in the second, as she looked up at him with a distaste. Sometimes Harunosuke was just like a child.

"Fine, I'll go down in a moment," she said nonchalantly, not wanting to give him even more satisfaction. Like father like daughter.

When Father left, Shizuka gathered herself up from the futon and turned towards the closet. She looked at its contents with a frown. The girl tried to figure out what to wear as fast as possible, so he wouldn't have to wait too long, but it turned out to be a very problematic task. She heard somebody entering her room and sighed in relief upon seeing the visitor.

"Mayuri, good morning! Your timing is perfect. Could you help me out?" she said pleadingly. The woman stepped through the door and joined her in front of the shelves.

"Good morning, Shizuka-sama. You don't know what to wear yet again, do you?" the maid guessed right away and Shizuka just smiled embarrassed. "Well, it's a given since you have so many clothes. Let us take a closer look then," she said and they began looking.

"I thought you are going to rest today. Why the sudden change?" Mayuri started, while rummaging through piles of fabrics in many different colours and patterns. "What about this one?" She showed Shizuka sapphire kimono decorated with white ivy motif.

"No, I wore that recently," she turned down quickly. "Well, I was planning to, but Father of course had to interfere," she sighed heavily.

"Kurai-sama is energetic as always," Mayuri chuckled. Her lady looked at her with a pout, only making her laugh louder.

"A little too energetic for my liking," Shizuka stated as if annoyed, but the maid could clearly see that the girl's eyes shined with anticipation, contradicting her grumble. She smiled, not for the first time finding her superiors' relationship a really adorable sight.

Shizuka went back to looking at clothes, so she also resumed the search. After a while (and about ten rejections) Mayuri held out another kimono and spoke to her.

"How about this one, Shizuka-sama?" When she saw her reaction, the woman knew that this was it.

"Oh, I forgot about this one! Yes, this will do," she said with a satisfied grin.

"Great. Now, let me help you dress. We took a lot of time choosing, Kurai-sama must be waiting."

"That's right, Father! Hurry up, Mayuri. I can't make him wait too long," Shizuka exclaimed, suddenly in a rush. They finished up quickly and the girl almost ran out of the room.

"Thank you, Mayuri!" she called out from the corridor. Then the maid heard her excited talk, just outside the house. She smiled to herself. What a cute person her lady was.

* * *

They went out, greeted by the lovely weather. The sun was shining brightly and, despite the occasional chilly breeze, the upcoming spring could be already felt and seen everywhere. Shizuka started talking to Father and soon, as they were slowly reaching the market, they were absorbed in light, cheerful conversation. When they arrived at the street, the first thing Shizuka noticed was a stall selling fabrics. She rushed there, dragging Harunosuke with her.

"Hello, what can I do for you, young lady?" the owner welcomed them with a smile.

Shizuka's eyes were fixed on the goods, looking for the pretty ones. She almost gave up, since it seemed he didn't have anything new, but then she saw something.

"Can I see the material at the back?"

"Miss you have good eye, this one just arrived," the man said and went inside, bringing out the cloth. When she inspected it closely, she couldn't stop admiring its beauty. It was light pink, with cherry blossoms embroidered here and there skilfully, making it look almost as if the petals fell right from the tree and landed on the fabric, marking it. True, it wasn't really her style, since she usually prefered intense colours, but there was something about this pink texture that made her unable to take her eyes off of it. It was love at first sight. She turned to look at Harunosuke.

"Father..." she smiled at him sweetly, pleading him with her expression. She saw him waver, but then he eyed her from head to toe and must've remembered something, because his hesitation disappeared.

"I believe I bought you a cloth last time we were out, did I not? I think it is the very one you are wearing right now." Indeed, the crimson camellia-patterned kimono she had on was a gift from Father, the one she begged out of him recently. _Crap, why did we go with this one, Mayuri?_ she thought, angry at herself for not predicting this. But still, she intended to press Father until the end, completely not discouraged by his lack of cooperation.

"Well, yes... But look Father, this fabric looks totally different from my other ones, doesn't it?" She waved the material in front of him, attacking his face.

"I am no expert when it comes to woman's clothing." he countered immediately, stepping back a little. "But what I do know is that you already have numerous kimonos in all different colours, am I wrong?" he ended, clearly not falling for her tricks.

"But look how beautiful it is!" she exclaimed desperately, Father's stubbornness irritating her.

"I recall that you said the exact same thing about the previous four that I have bought for you," he deadpanned, though his eyes were sparkling with amusement at her antics.

"Because they are all beautiful!" she huffed annoyed, feeling that she's losing the battle. She inhaled deeply to calm herself and put on a pretty smile again. _The last chance. Beg._

"Oh Father, can't you just buy it for me this once?" she chirped, grabbing his arm. "I'm not going to ask for anything again, I promise. Please, just this once?" Harunosuke looked at her, as if analysing her expression and she tried to look as innocent as possible. Then he smiled at her gently and patted her head.

"No, Shizu." _Damn it._ Father was really tough sometimes. She sighed disappointed, but couldn't really be mad at him, since he was showing her one of his rare smiles, the tactic she was incredibly weak against.

"I will buy it next time, alright?" he assured while glancing down at Shizuka, the promise getting rid of her frown completely. "For now, let us go on. Thank you, mister." He turned to the owner and bowed courteously.

They continued their outing and went further down the street, finding more stalls to visit. There was a lot to admire since every shop had something different to offer. The goods varied greatly; they found pretty jewellery, pottery, talismans and a lot more. Shizuka was chattering excitedly about everything, and it was clear that she already had forgotten about the previous incident. That was the power of Harunosuke's smile.

They were moving like this for quite a while, when upon seeing one particular stall they looked at each other knowingly and then headed that way arm to arm. A moment later, after deciding to take a little break, Shizuka and Father were enjoying their traditional market snack with tea.

"I didn't even know I was this hungry!" Shizuka mumbled as she started stuffing her face with delicious dango.

"Shizuka, do not eat so quickly, you will choke," Father scolded her with displeasure in his eyes, handing her a cup of tea.

"Nah, I'll be fine," she answered dismissively, busy with consuming more and more food. Harunosuke looked at her and just sighed, deciding to leave it be. His daughter was a real glutton when it came to dango. He took his own share and started eating it too, though with much less fervour than Shizuka.

"Wah, it was so good! I'm full," Shizuka said contentedly after a while.

"I do not doubt it, considering how many you ate," Father replied, eyeing the impressive pile of skewers next to her with disbelief. He shook his head, smiling briefly. A real glutton indeed.

They rested on the bench for a while longer, just basking in the sunlight. Cherry blossoms were just starting to bloom, making the surroundings look more beautiful than usual. They happened to be sitting directly under one of the trees, so they could admire it up close. For Shizuka and Father, spring was probably their favourite time of the year. There was something in this season that was appealing to both of them, even though they were so different from each other. During springtime they were going out more frequently than usual, be it to the market, the riverbank or the country, and just enjoyed their time together.

* * *

After the break they decided to head back to the house, since the sun was slowly lowering towards the west. Without realizing, they spent bigger part of the day in the town. They walked for a while, when Harunosuke stopped abruptly. Shizuka almost bumped into him and peered from behind him, curious what gave him a sudden pause. _Ah, of course._ She laughed to herself when she spotted the place Father was looking at. The shop selling swords.

"Father, should we go take a look?" she said, grinning up at him.

"Oh, should we? Yes, we might as well go. But just a glimpse, Shizu. It is getting late," he answered with a warning, though his expression was belying his indifferent words. Father's eyes were sparkling and he didn't seem to notice anything else. _Just a glimpse. As if it was possible for you,_ she thought, amused by Harunosuke's reaction. They went there and exchanged greetings with the owner, who apparently knew Father very well.

"Kurai-san, welcome! It has been a while since you visited, hasn't it?"

"Yes, Fujiwara-san, it has been a while." Father answered politely, however his eyes were already stealing glances at the swords. _Just like a child in a toy store,_ Shizuka noticed with a smile. "I got few good blades since them. Do you wish to see them?"

"Yes, of course." Then they headed towards one of the shelves and with that Father was gone. He threw tons of questions at the owner, who tried hard to keep up with him. He was especially interested in one sword, Kanemoto. Soon, they were absorbed in a heated discussion, and it was obvious that Harunosuke had vast knowledge of katanas, as he easily retorted every remark coming from Fujiwara-san. They were both enjoying this conversation, glad to be able to exchange opinions with someone as experienced in the area as himself. Shizuka decided to just leave them be and started looking around the store alone.

She also knew a lot about swords, because of Father of course, though she wasn't as interested with them as Harunosuke. Fighting - she loved it, but when it came to theoretical side of swordsmanship she was good with knowing just necessary basics. Still, she could recognize a good sword when she saw one, and the blade in front of her was definitely a splendid one. Shizuka decided to ask about it, though she knew it might be quite a risk.

"Excuse me," she started and they glared at her, clearly not happy with interruption. "Can you tell me about this blade?"

As they heard she was curious about one of the swords, they both lightened up, and the owner rushed to her side, explaining.

"Oh, Kurai-san, your daughter has a very good eye. This is one of the new katanas, Noshu Kaneuji, a truly wonderful blade." Then he started talking about the sword, not missing any detail, and Father listened closely. It really was a beautiful katana but, as it turned out, its price was just as impressive. _There's no way Father would buy me such an expensive blade. What a shame._ Shizuka sighed sadly, looking at Kaneuji. Then she turned to look at Father. He was slowly ending the conversation he had, since the sun was almost setting.

"Then Fujiwara-san, I will take this sword," he said, pointing at the blade they were discussing so fiercely earlier. Shizuka looked at it curiously. Kanemoto was smaller than Noshu Kaneuji and not so fancy, but there was something captivating in its simplicity. Looking at it closely it was a great blade, very clear and solid. Also the price was far more reasonable compared to Kaneuji. He thanked Fujiwara-san and they went out.

Just as Father turned to her to say something they both realized that, even though there was still a great amount of people outside, it was awfully quiet. All the men and women backed out to the side, emptying the road completely and stared at something in the distance while whispering to each other. They followed the crowd's gaze and spotted a group walking in the middle of the street, heading in their direction. She recognized the blue robes right away.

 _The Shinsengumi._

She heard a lot of stories about them from Father. She was told that thanks to them Kyoto had become a lot safer than it used to be. He appeared to be fond of them, though she didn't know why, despite their terrible reputation among residents of the city. Thinking about it, she glanced at townspeople. As the division was getting closer the whispers stopped entirely and everybody's eyes were down, making sure not to cross looks with any of the soldiers. She found it weird and turned to Father.

"Why are they behaving like this, Father?" she asked.

Harunosuke was looking pensively at the group, it seemed that he haven't heard her. After a while he finally answered, his gaze still fixed on the men passing by.

"People do not understand them," he said, his tone somehow melancholic. "And human beings are often afraid of something they cannot understand. It is part of their nature. But... they are good men," he ended thoughtfully, the last part didn't seem to be directed at Shizuka.

She stared up at Father, pondering over his words. Then she glanced at the Shinsengumi, observing them. They seemed to be a well matched group, the strong feeling of unity was radiating from them. Few of them had a quiet conversation, not minding the reaction of the crowd. But above all, each one of them was looking straight ahead with his head held high, pride and confidence evident in every step. She couldn't help but admire such attitude.

She looked at the crowd again, their cowardly hiding figures making her irritated somehow. _People are scared of their own protectors_ she snorted _,_ finding it ridiculous. _This is not lack of understanding, Father is too soft. They're not even trying to understand_ she concluded, gazing at slowly passing group with newly found respect.

* * *

The division soon disappeared and the street returned to its loud and lively atmosphere. Townspeople began to move again, some of them starting a heated discussion among themselves. Father also snapped out of his daze and turned to Shizuka again. He held out Kanemoto to her.

"What do you think about this blade, Shizuka?" he asked excitedly, the earlier mood gone completely, making her wonder if she really saw right in the first place. He caught her a little off guard with his sudden question and she took a moment to think.

"It's clearly a very good sword. It's simple, but straightforward." she answered finally and Father looked at her pleased.

"You understand it well, I am glad." he said and handed her the katana. She gazed up at him questioningly.

"It is yours, Shizu. It may not be Noshu Kaneuji, but I believe that this one suits you better. Try it."

She took the sword and instantly knew that Father was right. The hilt fitted her hand perfectly and the weight felt very good, just as if the blade was made especially for her. She thought back to Father's conversation with the owner and how he wanted to know everything about this blade. She chuckled quietly, thinking how well he knows her and how considerate he is.

"It's great," she said, grinning at Harunosuke."Thank you, Father." He returned the smile, obviously proud of himself. Then suddenly his eyes started sparkling.

"In that case, what would you say to a little spar?" she looked up at him, the same spark appearing in her own eyes.

"You bet. Prepare to lose miserably, Father."

"I do not intend to," he answered seriously, though his gaze was full of mischief.

"We'll see about that." She smirked at him dangerously, and he returned the gesture.

"But you cannot cheat," he said after a moment, making her let out an outraged gasp.

"What are you talking about? I never cheat!"

Yes, of course, Shizu," he replied doubtfully. He looked at her, raising an eyebrow and she couldn't counter this expression, since she knew the truth.

Then he took off, leaving her behind. _And there goes my day off..._ she thought briefly. But she didn't actually mind, since Father already woke up her competitive spirit with his challenge. She caught up to him quickly, grabbing his arm and they rushed home, both eager to fight.

Father looked down at Shizuka and seeing her so energetic, a little smile appeared on his face. He really did know his daughter very well.

* * *

 _ **One down, one more to go.**_

 _ **How do you like our heroine? I would love to know what you guys think, so feel free to leave a review.**_

 _ **See you soon!**_


	2. Second Memory

_**Hello world! I present to you the second and the last chapter of this little story. I had a lot of fun writing those (maybe I'll write some more one day?). But I admit that it was more like an exercise before I start writing something longer.**_

 _ **Stay tuned, the first chapter of an actual story is coming very soon! You'll see our beloved bishie squad there, so don't worry about their temporary absence**_

 _ **For now, enjoy!**_

* * *

One of the things she liked the most was watching Father's lessons. She could spend hours looking just at his stance, which he practised throughout the years to the point of perfection. Even while immobile, his entire body was giving off the feeling of an immense power. He was like a wild animal, staying still in an elegant pose and waiting in anticipation to start the hunt. And when he finally set off... Shizuka was sure that she'll never be as good as Harunosuke. His movements were excellently aimed, quicker than a wind and incredibly dangerous. But there was something more, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it. While watching Father, she would always find herself unable to look away, as if bewitched. His every step, every swing – exquisite. It almost looked like a dance. A beautiful and deadly dance.

His students seemed to share her opinion, as their eyes shined with similar fascination. However, there was a major difference between them. This was actually the other reason why she enjoyed Father's classes so much. His disciples were clearly scared of him. She couldn't stop laughing at his pupils, they were just too funny with their fear of Harunosuke. Every word of his was making them shiver. True, they all made a lot of progress while attending Father's dojo, but Shizuka wondered if that was because they were simply too afraid to show their teacher poor skill. Either way, when she didn't need to practise herself, she'd always appear in front of the sparring room and watch the spectacle.

Recently there was an uproar among the students, since new disciple joined Father's dojo. He was a tall and handsome young man, most likely Shizuka's age, but that was not why she took an interest in him.

It was because he didn't seem to be scared of Father.

He wasn't flinching like the rest and was always meeting Harunosuke's hard stare without a hint of fear. She was really surprised at the beginning and, seeing their reaction, so was the rest of the group. After the lesson, they circled around him, clearly impressed and started an excited discussion. Sadly she didn't get to hear it, because Father spotted her and called out to her.

"Shizuka, what are you doing here?" he asked with a stern expression. "Have I not told you to not walk around the quarters so leisurely? If you have free time you should help in the house or practise. Do not waste your time."

"Yes, I'm sorry," she answered absentmindedly while looking back at the men, them still absorbed in a lively chat.

"I cannot let you be bored like this. Come with me," Father said and headed down the corridor, towards the other practise room.

"But... Yes, Father," she muttered at his back, only now hearing him properly. She had to train now. With Father. And he seemed convinced that she's been slacking off. _Great. Just great,_ _she thought._

She began to walk behind him, already feeling sore from just the thought of practise with him. But before... She couldn't stop herself. She turned around one last time to look at the new student. To her surprise, she noticed that his gaze was already fixed on her. Upon eye contact he smiled, not minding the commotion around him. Shizuka was taken aback for a second, but then she smiled back, suddenly feeling a little shy. A moment passed, and just as Harunosuke hurried her, the young man turned away and focused again on the conversation he had with the others.

Shizuka on the other hand found herself strangely energetic. Even though she was going straight to hell, her mood mysteriously brightened up. She continued to follow Father, the grin that crept up on her face not leaving.

After that day, as Shizuka continued to come to Father's classes, she kept catching that guy at looking at her. Soon they began this little game of stealing glances and both had a lot of fun with it. However, even while playing with her, the young man didn't lose his concentration during lessons and he still didn't seem to mind Father's scary demeanour in the slightest. Actually he was getting more and more bold. Not only his fighting, his skill of adaptation was also remarkable. She really liked his attitude, so different from the cowardice of the rest (who made the boy some sort of leader of their group). And honestly, it was pretty hilarious to see Father having someone to talk back to him, probably for the first time in his career as a teacher.

* * *

One day after Father's lessons, as she was sneaking out before getting caught, she heard an unknown voice calling out to her.

"Hello, young miss." Shizuka turned around and found herself facing **_him_**. _Woah, how did he exit the room so fast?_ _s_ he thought, completely stunned. He smiled at her and she realized she still haven't answered, instead she was just staring at him. _Crap, I need to relax._

"Hello," she answered, smiling back. _Okay, this is good enough... or maybe not,_ she concluded, observing his expression. He looked like he was waiting for her to continue, slight uneasiness visible in his features. _Say something more, dammit!_

"C- can I help you with something?" That was the best she could come up with, but it seemed to be enough for him. His frown vanished and his lips turned upwards again.

"Oh, yes. Actually, I... " he paused, his face flushing suddenly and his gaze wandering sideways. _So. Cute._ She chuckled quietly, her own nervousness somehow disappearing.

"Yes?" she encouraged him with a gentle voice.

"I... If I may... I would like to kn..." the rest was said so quietly that she couldn't hear it. Comparing his daring persona during practise and the mess he was now, she found him even more adorable. _Let's tease him a little._

"Excuse me, could you repeat? I didn't hear you."

"I... your na..." he mumbled, his cheeks redder than before.

"Come again? A little louder."

"Can you tell me your name?!" he exclaimed loudly, the outburst surprising them both. She giggled openly, making him look up at her.

"Of course. I'm Shizuka. And you are?"

"My name is Shinomiya Ryouma, nice to meet you," he greeted officially and bowed.

"Nice to meet you too, Ryouma-kun," she said and followed his movement, clearly catching him off guard with the instant use of his first name. Fortunately, he recovered quickly. She also noticed that initial awkwardness passed and their conversation flew rather well. Ryouma was now looking her straight in the eye, his flush long gone, and she wondered how in the world he'd calmed himself down so quickly. _This guy really adapts fast,_ she thought with a smile.

They were chatting for quite a while, somehow feeling very comfortable, despite the very short period of acquaintance. When he finally excused himself and left, she realized that she wanted to talk some more. With a sigh she headed towards her room.

The rest of the students wondered where Shinomiya was disappearing to lately. They didn't know that the man in question, as soon as classes ended, was rushing towards certain part of the garden surrounding the dojo, to see a certain person. As few weeks passed, their meetings became a daily occurrence. They'd spend time on talking, even if it was just a brief moment. They came to really like each other's company, since they had a lot in common. They could go on for hours about sword fighting, sharing and learning new things from one another.

At the beginning Ryouma was quite surprised that a pretty and polite young lady like Shizuka could be interested in such an unwomanly thing like swordsmanship. But talking with her, he realized how well oriented she was. It was really impressive. He tried to find out about her teacher, but Shizuka wasn't very eager to share the source of her knowledge, so eventually he stopped prodding.

She was more than happy with that, since she knew that the moment she mentions Father's name their little rendezvous would come to an end. It happened before with many boys. Once they knew about her family, they would cut all ties, simply too afraid to continue associating with her. So this time, even if Ryouma seemed to not mind Harunosuke, she decided to hide the fact that she was his daughter. Because of that she sometimes had to balance on the verge of lie, but she believed it would be better this way.

* * *

Some days later, because of an errand she had to run, Shizuka was late for Father's lesson. She peeked out, looking for Harunosuke, and when she didn't see him around she glanced towards the students, searching for Ryouma. She spotted him almost immediately, he was surrounded by the others. _Popular as always,_ she thought, looking at him fondly. She decided not to make her presence known for now and eavesdrop a little, as she realized she had no idea what they were always talking about so excitedly. She wanted to know more about the young man and thought that maybe she'll be able to overhear something interesting.

"Shinomiya, you were so bold with Kurai-sensei today. Aren't you afraid of him at all? I can't even imagine talking back to him like that," one of the students, she remembered his name was Keiki, said with admiration. Ryouma laughed loudly, then showed an expression that was new to Shizuka's eyes. It was well known confidence, but strangely, under the surface something else was visible and she didn't like it one bit. He looked mocking, almost cruel.

"That old geezer is too full of himself." Ryouma smirked and her jaw slacked down. "He might have some skill, but his lessons are such a pain. Seriously, how long are we going to practise the same shit over and over? When it comes to teaching, he totally sucks."

He was becoming more and more intense with each word, clearly savouring in the attention he was getting. Shizuka on the other hand was so dumbfounded that she barely registered other people's voices. Only new insults directed at Harunosuke were heard loud and clear, as if piercing her ears.

Where was the boy she'd spent hours talking to? Was it a scam? Did he enjoy making a fool out of her?

Slowly, the shock subsided and was replaced by the fury, and it took all the self-control she had to not just go there and beat the hell out of him. She stopped herself only because she decided that it's not good enough of a punishment. For now she chose to leave. In her daze she didn't even notice that her cover had been blown. Ryouma was looking intently at her retreating figure, mixture of surprise and worry evident on his face.

As she was passing one of the rooms, she spotted Father. Even after classes were finished he continued training by himself. The rage blinded her again. _Full of himself? I'm seriously going to kill that idiot!_

Harunosuke was her only family and the most important person in her life. His hard-working, honest and righteous personality, though it could sometimes be a real bother, had long ago earned his daughter's greatest and unwavering respect. She wouldn't let anybody talk badly about him. Especially some moron who didn't know anything about Father and simply spits insults just to impress others. She felt very apologetic towards Harunosuke and regretted hiding their relationship just to associate with somebody like Ryouma.

She looked at him again. Harunosuke finished practising and was now cleaning his katana, Sagami Kaneyasu. It was truly a masterpiece in the art of swordmaking, a very dignified and clear blade. Kaneyasu was this kind of sword, that if held in right hands, it was becoming unrivalled. And seeing the way Father handled it, the blade certainly had a perfect owner. The katana was like an extension of his arm, allowing him to strike enemies with deadly precision, but also in a very graceful way.

She heard that he was given Kaneyasu by an older friend from Yukimura clan, the man he looked up to since he was young. It stayed displayed in the room Father was now practising in and he didn't use it very much. This sword was his greatest treasure and he didn't let anyone touch it, not even Shizuka. Some time ago she tried holding it once, out of curiosity, but when Father caught her she was thoroughly scolded. It was one of those rare times when Harunosuke was seriously mad and just the memory of it was making her shiver.

Suddenly, she got an idea. _You'll be sorry for this, Ryouma. Just you wait_ _,_ Shizuka thought, an evil smile appearing on her face.

She set her plan in motion the very next day. She sneaked out and went to meet with Ryouma. Lessons just ended and he was waiting at their usual spot.

"Hello there, Ryouma-kun," she called out sweetly and he turned around with an uncertain smile.

"Hello, Shizuka-chan, it's good to see you. Actually, I wanted to talk with you about..." he started but then noticed what she was holding. "Oh, what is..." he pointed at the sword she was carrying, but as he took a closer look the words caught up in his throat. She could see his eyes widen and smirked to herself. She expected him to react that way, it was one of the things she learned about him. He was crazy about rare swords. _Got you. Now, onto the next stage._

"I wanted to show you this blade, since I know you like this stuff. It belongs to someone I know. Isn't it amazing?" she chirped excitedly, dulling his vigilance.

"Yes, it is." he answered, still staring at Kaneyasu, barely understanding her talk.

"Would you like to try it out?" _There it is. Now fall._

"Oh, I don't know _..._ " he trailed off, though his expression was betraying him.

"Don't worry, just try it. I believe the room on the right is free now," she said encouragingly.

"May I?"

"Of course. There." She flashed him a smile and handed him Kaneyasu. He took it slowly, but as he gripped the hilt his eyes sparkled with thrill.

 _And you're done for._

Ryouma then headed towards the practise room, not even noticing that Shizuka didn't follow. And she could already hear Father's footsteps echoing on the corridor. _Perfect timing, Father._

She hid behind one of the large bushes and watched how Shinomiya was testing the blade. Then she saw Father, and as he was getting closer, she started trembling slightly in anticipation. _This is going to be good._

Harunosuke recognized the sound of sword swinging and peered inside.

"Ryouma, what are you still doing here?" he asked his student, making him turn around. However he didn't get to answer, as Father's gaze fell upon the sword in the young man's hands. And with that, all the hell broke loose. It got even better than Shizuka expected and she couldn't hold her laughter in. Ryouma's face - she was sure she'd never forget it.

* * *

When the time for the next practise has come, she rushed towards the dojo to see the aftermath of her revenge. And surely enough, Ryouma was now the same as the rest of the students, frightened expression and flinching included. Harunosuke was more rough than usual, especially on Shinomiya, most likely because of what happened.

As Shizuka had the time of her life watching him squirm under the teacher's vicious glare, Father suddenly turned around and looked straight at her. His eyes were saying one thing.

 _You are screwed._

She made a movement, trying to evacuate quickly, but the force of Harunosuke's stare made her unable to continue, as if she was glued to the spot. He finished the classes and while the students started leaving, he called out to her.

"Shizuka, come here for a second," Father said, his voice ominous. Upon the mention of her name Ryouma looked up, finding himself face to face with her. He didn't know what to say, still confused about what had happened before. She didn't even give him a chance to talk.

"Yes, _Father_. I'm coming," she answered, emphasising this one word and looked straight at Ryouma. The young man paled a great deal and simply gaped at her, lost for words. She passed by him and stood next to Father.

Shizuka could hear the voices of the students outside, questioning Shinomiya about today's lesson, but he remained silent. _At least he has a little decency in him_ _,_ she concluded. She soon stopped listening to the talks though, as she realized that she had bigger issues to deal with at the moment. Like quiet rage of her Father, for example. She knew she has been caught.

"You know why you are here, do you?"

"Umm... because I was slacking off again?" she said, trying to play dumb, but it didn't seem to work. Actually, he looked even more irked.

"Shizuka..." he loomed over her threateningly and she couldn't handle the pressure anymore.

"Alright, alright! I admit, it was me. I took Kaneyasu."

"Why would you do something so foolish?! What was your purpose?" he prodded her, clearly not understanding his daughter's motives. He considered the possible reasons for a minute and then continued, a sudden thought giving him an idea. "Was it because you liked..." he started, but she cut him off quickly, outraged at the idea.

"No! I wanted to punish him!" she exclaimed, breathing heavily. The quarrels with Father were always an exhausting experience. Her outburst surprised him, his eyes widened at the words.

"Punish? Why would you punish that boy?" he asked, genuinely confused. He still suspected some problems of a romantic nature, even though he couldn't think of Shizuka ever having incidents involving young men. But he could easily imagine her being vengeful towards such a boy, if wronged in any way. Her confession however, took a completely unexpected for Harunosuke turn.

"It's... It's because... he insulted you," she said finally in a voice barely louder than a whisper.

"Is that so," he muttered pensively after a long pause. He looked at his daughter with gentle eyes, his earlier anger disappearing.

"Yes," she answered simply, her head down.

"It does not trouble me though, so why does it trouble you?" She looked up at him, astonished.

"How could it not?"

"Why should I mind somebody who cannot even voice his opinion about me straight to my face?" he asked rhetorically and gazed at her. "There are a lot of people in this world that one day will try to hurt you, be it by words or actions. You cannot fight all of them."

"Why can't I?" she asked boldly, making him smile at her spirit.

"You would get too exhausted, Shizu. You should instead learn to identify those who pose a real threat."

"So you're saying that I shouldn't mind small fry?"

"Exactly," he assured. She acknowledged Father's words and visibly pondered over them, her concentrated frown earning Harunosuke's quiet chuckle.

"I understand. But still, if somebody says something bad about you I won't just sit back and watch. I can't," she stated, her eyes full of conviction. He sighed at her, though he expected this answer. His daughter could be very obstinate sometimes.

"This is why you are not an adult yet."

"Wha? What do you mean? I'm almost eighteen! I'm not a kid anymore," she huffed annoyed.

"Yes, but you are not an adult either," he repeated, now purposely igniting her irritation. She was incredibly fun to tease. She pouted at him and turned her head away with a loud "hmph", making him laugh loudly. Seeing that she became the source of Father's amusement, her sulk deepened momentarily. His happy expression melted her anger very soon though. She couldn't be mad when he was like this and he knew that very well. _Sly man._

After a minute he coughed up and looked at her again, his face serious this time.

"I will tell you one more thing that will help you become a splendid adult. You see, Shizu, adults take responsibility for their actions." He took one step closer. "Always." _Crap, I thought I'll get away with this!_ she cursed, glancing at Harunosuke's approaching figure.

"Is that so?" she said, taking a little step back, which Father of course noticed.

"Yes, that is so," he concluded and before she realized his hand was already around her shoulders, a strong hold preventing her from escaping. _When did he?_

"Are you going somewhere?" he asked nicely.

"No, of course not, Father," she smiled at him, her grin weak. _Damn it!_

"Good, because I was thinking about having an additional practise, just the two of us. And since you are saying you are not busy, we might make it as long as we want, is it not amazing?" he asked, tightening his grip on her arm.

"Ha ha, yes, Father. It's amazing," she whined.

"After all, another thing you need to become proper adult is healthy body, you know, Shizu?"

He was now openly making fun of her and enjoyed it greatly. She didn't answer, instead offered Father a look that could only be described as "bloodthirsty". Not minding her hidden (or not) killing intent, Harunosuke started to push his resisting daughter towards the practise room. They were walking down the corridor when Father turned to Shizuka.

"His face... You saw it, right?" Harunosuke said suddenly and her head shot up. They looked at each other for a moment and then Shizuka burst out laughing, tears in her eyes.

He smiled at her hunched figure lightly. This daughter of his was always keeping him out of the boredom's way. But he didn't mind. Actually, he was really fond of it.

* * *

 _ **Aaand that's it for this little story! From now on I will focus completely on the main story.**_

 _ **Thank you very much for reading, and see you soon!**_


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